Window



F. s. STAFFORD.

WINDOW. APPLICATION FILED Jungle, 1919.

Patented Mw17,1921

FREDERICK s. STAFFORD, oF onrcaeo, rumors, ASSIGNOR T0 nanny e. sent. or

- cnrcaeo, rnnrnors.

WINDOW.

Patented May 17,

Application filed June 16, 1919. Serial 110.30%,441.

T 0 all whom it may concern: I Be it known that I, Fnnnnnron S. STAF- Fonn, citizen ofthe-Unrted States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and usefulImprovement in Windows, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description. 1

My invention relates to window structures that are to be applied to sheets of flexible material such as the curtain portions of automobile or othervehicle tops or the walls of canvas tents.

My invention has for one of its objects the production of a window structure which is adapted to be so engaged with a sheet of flexible material to be provided therewith as to prevent slippage thereof with respect to the sheet and also to prevent the buckling.

of the sheet at the window opening.

The invention has for another of its objects the provision of a window frame element of spring material for engagement with the window pane, this frame element being adapted substantially to conform to any irregularities in the portions of the window pane engaged thereby and serving as a yielding cushioning means for so clamping the pane in place between this frame element and another, but preferably rigid, frame element as not to cause the breakage of the pane while at the'same time preserving weather proof connection between the window structure and the flexible sheet supporting it.

In accordance with one feature of my present invention the inner border portion of the spring frame element is of U-shape in cross section to constitute a' very effective spring formation that readily adapts the spring frame for clamping engagement with the window pane.

In accordance with another feature of my present invention the spring frame has prongs integrally formed therewith for passage through the sheet material which is to support the window structure, the complemental frame having recesses therein into which said prongs extend. A window structure thus. made is one that may be so assembled with the sheet material as to prevent the teeth from tearing the sheet and to' from being cut" at the perimeter of the spring frame, thebight of the U being at such perimeter. V

I will explain my invention fully by reference to the accompanying drawing "in which Figure 1 1s a view'partlally in ele} vation and partially in section showingia sheet of flexible material and a -window structure of myinvention supported there by, parts being broken away to reveal characteristics of. construction; Fig. 2 is a sectional view on line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig.3 is a reproduction, on a largerscale, of the structure shown at the lower part of Fig. 2; and Fig. 4 is a sectional view on lines-' 1 of Fig. 1. 7 I i Like parts are indicated by similar characters of reference throughout the different figures. I

there is employed a substantially rigid frame As the invention is preferably practised 1 having an angular recess 2 bordering its inner edge-in which ov rlapping portions of a sheet of flexible material 3 and thelight transmitting closure 4: (which may be a pane of glass) are received. The frame 1 conforms in contour to the contour of the window opening in the sheet of flexible material. In the preferred embodiment of the invention the rigid frame elementl is formed of cast metal and in the casting thereof recess 5 is disposed about the winsecond frame which surrounds the bulging dow opening and is. covered by said sheet,

portion 11 thereof and enter the first frame,

these bolts serving to clamp the portions of the closure and sheetsurrounding the window opening between said frames. The inner edge of the bulging portion 11 of the spring frame is in spring or cushionin engagement with the border'portion o the closure 4 whereby the two frames may be the frame of U-shape in cross section. 7 -This formation may readily be secured in the stamping of the spring sheet metal out of which the frame 10 may be made. The metal of the frame 10 is preferably sufficiently stiff, however, to prevent the bolts 13 from entirely collapsing the U-shaped portion of the frame when'these bolts are screwed or turned home, to maintain the springy nature of the spring frame in the presence of the bolts in the final assembly of the window structure and sheet. The inner fold of the frame 10 may be scalloped out as indicated at 14;, the adjacent ends of adjacent scallops being closely approached to form prongs 15 which are bent away from the frame 10 and which are passed through the sheet into the recess 5.

In applying the window structure to the sheet of flexible material that is to support it, such sheet, with the window opening initially unprovided therein, is first clamped between the two frames, this sheet being interposed between the pane or closure 4 and the angular recess 2 in the frame 1 to produce a weather tight joint between the frames and the pane. After this has been accomplished the window opening is formed in the sheet by a sharp knife which is caused to cut the sheet along the inner edge of the frame 1, the window opening conforming to the contour of this inner frame edge to which contour the inner edge of the frame 10 also desirably corresponds. The structure is such that the prongs do not tear the sheet and serve to maintain the sheet in such assembly with the frame as to avoid slippage between the sheet and frame and the buckling of the sheet at the frame. To prevent the sheet from being cut at the outer border of the frames as the sheet-sways in the wind, the frame .10 is given the U-formin cross section which has been set forth. The rigid frame 1 is desirably upon the outside of the sheet and the spring frame is upon the inside of the sheet, since the rigid frame is better adapted to withstand the weather, particu larly if it is a casting. The rigid frame is also slightly rounded at its outer periphery to prevent it from cutting the sheet.

While I have herein shown and particularly described the preferred embodiment of my'invention I do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction shown as changes may readily be made without departing from the spirit of my invention, buti having thus described my invention I claim as new. and desire to secure by Letters Patent the following The combination with a sheet of flexible material having a window opening therein; of a light transmitting closure having "its border overlapped by the border of said opening; a substantially rigid frame having an angular recess bordering its inner edge in which the light transmitting closure is received and in which the inner edge of the flexible material is also received, this inner edge of the flexible material being interposed between 'the light transmitting closure and the rigid frame, said rigid frame also having a recess surrounding the aforesaid angular recess and in the face of the rigid frame that is engaged by the flexible material; a second frame, formed of spring material, and having its outer border portion of U-shape in cross section, between which and the first frame the portions of the light transmitting closure and the sheet of flexible material which border the window opening are disposed, the part of the U-shaped border portion of the second frame that is next to the flexible material having prong formations which pass through the flexible material and into the recess in the rigid frame that surrounds the angular recess; andbolts clamping the border portion of the second frame to the first frame.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this sixth d'a of June, A. D., 1919.

' FREDERI K S. STAFFORD. 

